


come rain or shine

by byuls



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Canon Universe, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-07 02:21:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14661347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/byuls/pseuds/byuls
Summary: amidst his jam-packed schedule, junmyeon falls sick and chanyeol desperately wants his leader slash boyfriend to depend on him this time. canon verse.





	come rain or shine

**Author's Note:**

> For my beloved A, and W. To the prompter, I really hope I was able to do your idea justice! 
> 
> [Prompt #35]

There‘s a soft click of the front door‘s lock, some rustling coming from the corridor and Chanyeol knows Junmyeon has finally come home. He turns his head away from the TV, waiting for Junmyeon to enter the living-room, but as soon as Chanyeol gets a glimpse of him, the smile on his face falters.

Junmyeon looks visibly exhausted, skin pallid even in the room‘s warm light and eyes heavy from the dark circles underneath. Their gazes meet for a brief moment, concern clashing with confusion. Junmyeon steps forward and flops down on the couch next to Chanyeol, resting his head on the other one‘s lap.

“You alright?“ Chanyeol asks, cautious of the strength in his voice. It is pretty late by now, and they shouldn‘t be waking up the others. Without realizing, he has his fingers carding through Junmyeon‘s messy hair already. Junmyeon‘s eyes flutter shut at the touch.

“Fine. Just tired, is all,“ Junmyeon mumbles against his thigh, nestling his face up to the fabric of Chanyeol‘s sweatpants like a pillow. He opens his eyes again, staring blankly at the television screen, as if in deep thought. Then he sighs. “I kept messing up a lot today.“

Unsure whether to ask Junmyeon for more details on that, Chanyeol keeps brushing Junmyeon‘s hair with his hand instead in an attempt to comfort him. It‘s impossible for him to ignore the wistfulness in Junmyeon‘s voice, though. Chanyeol can tell that the musical is very taxing, with every performance leaving him drained physically and emotionally.

Junmyeon‘s currently shooting a new drama and working on two station songs as well while still keeping up with their group‘s jam-packed schedules. He is just crazy busy at the moment, they all are in their own times, Chanyeol knows. Still, he can‘t help but worry. Checking up on Junmyeon has become such a hard habit to break.

“I‘m sure it will be fine, hyung,“ is what Chanyeol settles on saying in the end. Words they‘ve kept on repeating to each other like a mantra for years now. They have no choice but to always keep moving forward. Usually, Junmyeon is the one finding the best words to keep them motivated, but it doesn‘t mean he doesn‘t need affirmation and encouragement himself at times. Chanyeol thinks Junmyeon might be the one who needs them the most.

When he notices Junmyeon slowly drifting off on his lap, Chanyeol feels guilty of having to shake him awake again. Trying to be as gentle as possible, he reminds Junmyeon that they shouldn‘t stay here on the couch. Not if it’s a nagging Minseok they want to wake up to in the morning.

 

❖

 

Junmyeon‘s severe coughing fit is what startles Chanyeol out of his sleep in the middle of the night. He feels disoriented at first, mind racing to process what is going on. It‘s difficult to do so in the dark, a whimper and something pawing at the front of his shirt the only things he can discern.

After the moment of shock has passed, Chanyeol tries to gather his thoughts while reaching out carefully. With his fingers, he traces the silhouette lying next to him on the bed. He vaguely remembers now, Junmyeon looking like he was about to pass out when he came home earlier.

“What is it,“ Chanyeol asks in a whisper, voice still rough from sleep, “feeling unwell?“

He feels Junmyeon nod his head against his chest at the question, clutching at the fabric of Chanyeol‘s hoodie now. In the dark, Chanyeol won‘t be able to see what‘s wrong or help him. So with a soft groan, he forces himself to sit up, dragging a reluctant Junmyeon along with him.

Despite Junmyeon‘s weak protests, Chanyeol ushers him to the bathroom. The piercing, fluorescent light blinds them both for a moment, but once their eyes adjust properly, he guides Junmyeon to sit on the edge of the bathtub while crouching down in front of him.

Chanyeol places the back of his hand to Junmyeon‘s forehead carefully. His chest constricts in worry while examining the dark, heavy shadows underneath Junmyeon’s eyes. His cheeks and nose are glowing alarmingly red, too. From the way Junmyeon flinches away at the touch, Chanyeol knows right away. “You‘re burning up, hyung.“

Junmyeon looks up at him through his glassy eyes, and Chanyeol can already see a million thoughts and worries spinning inside the other one’s mind. Health is one of every idol’s biggest concerns, because they simply can’t afford getting sick. So usually they don’t. And if they do, they just try their hardest to pretend otherwise.

With a sigh, Chanyeol stands up again and walks towards the bathroom sink, rummaging through the mirror cabinet for any painkillers. It has been a long time since none of the members has had any physical grievances, so it’s no surprise that he finds only a few pills left. There is Jongin still recovering from his plantar fasciitis, Jongdae and his back complaints and Chanyeol himself who struggles with occasional nausea on stage. A lot of times, Chanyeol wonders how they are even able to keep up the perfect idol image when they are in fact gradually destroying their own bodies.

But now is not the right moment to dwell on these kind of thoughts for too long. Chanyeol goes back to focusing on the task at hand, which is to take care of Junmyeon. He hands him an aspirin along with a cup of water before sitting down next to him. Junmyeon gulps down both as Chanyeol watches, evaluating his hyung’s state.

After all, he can’t help it. “You should take the day off.”

Junmyeon shakes his head immediately, looking at anything but Chanyeol’s eyes. Chanyeol expected nothing else, and even though he is too tired to argue at the moment, he can’t bring himself to let it go. He has to be careful going on about it though, his temper running paper-thin from the lack of sleep. There is also Junmyeon’s infamous, unyielding stubbornness. “Hyung—”

“It’s just a cold, Chanyeol. You all have had worse.” Junmyeon’s voice is extremely hoarse, if barely there at all. At this rate, there is no way he will be able to perform properly. Junmyeon might be the smartest person Chanyeol knows, but in this regard, he has the annoying tendency to act like a complete idiot. 

“I don’t want to hear you sing like that, it’s grating on my ears,” Chanyeol says, trying to play it light. He scrunches up his nose in distaste for more effect, which only earns him a soft punch to his chest. Junmyeon coughs again. “It will go away with time.”

 _Not by tomorrow, it won’t_ is what Chanyeol is thinking. But instead of saying it out loud, he realizes that it _is_ tomorrow morning already, the clock on his phone reading 4:41 am when he checks it. The other members will be getting up any minute.

Chanyeol fights the urge to keep arguing. He will probably fail to convince Junmyeon to take a break anyway. He makes a mental note to bring that discussion up again later though before he gently helps Junmyeon stand up, leading him out of the bathroom and towards the kitchen. No chance of going back to bed and have some more precious sleep now.

 

❖

 

Today’s schedule is benign actually, only three hours of dance practice and a fansign event later that evening on their agenda. Chanyeol still can’t wait to just get it all over with, because watching Junmyeon barely able to carry himself through makes things so much harder. Earlier, he talked to Minseok about it, asking him to play the hyung card, make Junmyeon stay at home. But Minseok just tried to reassure him that their leader knows the limits of his own body best. Besides, everyone knows that no one can sway Junmyeon once he’s set his mind on something.

Still, Chanyeol can’t keep his eyes off Junmyeon, observing him through the practice room’s large mirror, his skin three times paler than usual and his whole body trembling under the thick layers of clothes he’s wearing. The atmosphere’s rather tense with everybody noticing yet trying to keep their thoughts to themselves. There’s little to do about it, but it has Chanyeol feeling irritated anyway.

Their choreographer has tried to convince Junmyeon several times already to take a break whenever Junmyeon starts coughing too much. Chanyeol never fails to shake his head or click his tongue every single time Junmyeon refuses. It’s the opposite of helping uplift the mood, especially now that Junmyeon and Chanyeol are glaring daggers at each other through the mirror. The sight of Junmyeon forcing his tired body to follow the fast-paced dance moves only angers Chanyeol even more.

All he can do is fume in silence and think of how it’s all bullshit, the way Junmyeon always gets to lecture them about their health and how they have to take care of themselves when he doesn’t even stick to his own damn advice.

In the end, Junmyeon is pulled out forcefully. It's because he keeps messing up the steps, almost collapsing onto Sehun due to his dizziness and generally disrupting the group’s entire flow.

Their manager takes Junmyeon aside to scold him, with Junmyeon visibly deflating at every other harsh word. Chanyeol decides that this doesn’t feel like victory at all.

He doesn’t say anything to Junmyeon afterwards though, the air still thick between them throughout the rest of dance practice. Junmyeon avoids Chanyeol’s looks directed towards him like the plague, escaping into the showers without waiting for the group to finish up.

“Trouble on cloud nine?” a distinct voice Chanyeol identifies as Baekhyun asks before Chanyeol’s vision is blocked by a towel dropped on his face. When he rips the cloth away again, he sees that Baekhyun has settled down next to him on the floor with that particular knowing grin spread across his lips. Chanyeol just scowls back at him, not really in the mood for jokes right now.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not the problem,” Chanyeol grumbles lowly under his breath. He averts his eyes down to his sneakers, playing with the rubber on their soles. They’ve all seen Junmyeon, they could have all said something earlier, too. There are nine members in this group , it doesn’t always have to be Chanyeol’s responsibility to speak up and butt heads with their leader when necessary.

“You’ve known him long enough. He’s just like this, determination made of steel and all that,” Baekhyun reminds him. Chanyeol can’t help but scoff. “Besides, you would have done the same thing if you were in his place. You know it, because we all hate getting left behind.”

Chanyeol has to admit that Baekhyun does have a point there. They are all drilled to work hard and relentlessly, so it’s like second nature to them to push themselves and their bodies beyond healthy limits. But when will it be enough? Chanyeol's mind works like a one-way street and right now, all he wants is for Junmyeon to just rest. “So are we supposed to just watch in silence every time someone is unreasonable and wrecks themselves to ruins?” 

Baekhyun shrugs. “We’ve been there enough times before, Chanyeol. You can always keep trying, but those fights usually don’t even matter in the end.”

“Stop worrying yourself silly, it’s just a cold and a fever. He’ll live,” Baekhyun chuckles, whipping the towel in his hand playfully against Chanyeol’s arm. “He isn’t able to take part in the group’s activities today. We knew and he knew yet he didn’t listen. That’s why he got called out.”

Chanyeol understands all of this, really, but it doesn’t mean it’s also easy to accept. It would be less frustrating if Junmyeon wasn’t such a hypocrite. If he rested his body like he knows he should. If he would let Chanyeol take care of him, just this one time.

“Yeah, but he’s mad at _me_ now. I told him that he should recover at least for today. Why is it my fault all of a sudden?” Chanyeol laments, pressing his face into his large palms. It isn't just the worry. Chanyeol doesn't want to fight, especially not in this kind of situation. And dealing with a sick Junmyeon while deciphering his mixed signals at the same time is just too damn complicated. “No matter what I do, it’s just wrong to him.”

Baekhyun offers him a sympathetic smile, gripping Chanyeol’s shoulder and rubbing gently over the fabric of Chanyeol’s t-shirt. “Just be there for him.”

 

❖

 

With the other members already on their way back to the dorms, Chanyeol still lingers at the practice room’s door, watching from afar how their manager and Junmyeon discuss Junmyeon’s further schedule for today. Junmyeon’s shoulders are hunched over, nodding with his gaze cast down to the floor. Chanyeol can tell that he doesn’t like their manager’s decision one bit.

Then he remembers that Junmyeon isn’t used to being chastised that often anymore. It’s disheartening to feel like your efforts aren’t being acknowledged despite trying so hard, especially for someone as diligent and hardworking as Junmyeon.

Their manager leaves the practice room first, throwing a pointed look at Chanyeol while walking past him. Junmyeon strolls towards him soon after, defeat written all over his body. He gazes up at Chanyeol and pauses for a moment, as if he’s wrestling in his mind whether he should keep ignoring Chanyeol. Behind the face mask Junmyeon is wearing, he lets out a heavy sigh.

“I’m dismissed from the group’s activities until tomorrow. He sent me to the doctor instead.”

Chanyeol hates it a bit, to admit how relieved he feels that Junmyeon has decided to talk to him again. There were times when their feuds had been more heated, back when Junmyeon would be giving him the cold shoulder for days. At worst, it had Chanyeol growing so resentful, to the point where he would start spreading awful shit about Junmyeon to everyone.

They’ve grown up and a lot of things have changed. Sometimes Chanyeol loves Junmyeon too much, loves when Junmyeon clings right back onto him and things couldn’t get any more sweeter. For some reason though, keeping the harmony between them still has always remained such a fickle thing to manage.

Chanyeol considers Baekhyun’s advice. He should return the favor of Junmyeon’s peace treaty as well.

“I’ll go with you.”

He blurts it out without much thinking, and of course he is immediately shot down by Junmyeon’s stern frown. “Chanyeol, you’re supposed to be at the fansign.”

“I’ll make it in time, hyung.” It’s not a lie. Chanyeol still has a little more than two spare hours left to mend things and take care of Junmyeon, now that he’s finally grounded to heal properly at home.

 

❖

 

It’s a bit of a waste of time seeing the doctor when you know exactly what kind of illness you’re dealing with. Even more so when you already know what kind of treatment measures you’re supposed to follow. But even as an idol, Junmyeon can’t bypass going through the procedure of getting diagnosed first to receive the prescription for his required medication.

So here they are, standing in line in front of the hospital’s reception, waiting for Junmyeon’s number to appear on the digital screen hanging on the wall across from them. Chanyeol wishes Junmyeon was able to sit down since he has been staggering a bit too much for his taste. But Junmyeon had been adamant on passing every free seat to everyone else, saying that the elderly needed them more.

“But aren’t you a senior citizen yourself already, hyung,” Chanyeol teases, only to receive a punch to his gut and a knee kick to his thigh in revenge. Amusement fades as soon as Junmyeon stumbles and leans onto Chanyeol heavily, coughing badly into the inner side of his elbow.

Chanyeol wraps his arms around Junmyeon’s waist from behind to hold him steady after that. He expects Junmyeon to nag about it, but when he doesn’t say anything, Chanyeol starts rocking them gently from one side to the other for no particular reason. There’s only so much you can do to kill boredom in a doctor’s waiting room.

They pull apart feeling somewhat busted when a teenage girl with sparkling eyes steps into their vision, waving her hand at them and shyly introducing herself as a fan. Chanyeol and Junmyeon greet her back, with Junmyeon apologizing and bowing for about a thousand times as soon as the girl expresses how worried she is meeting them here at a hospital. Chanyeol can only roll his eyes at the typical leader shenanigans. Way too uptight.

But before any more words can be exchanged, Junmyeon’s number finally appears. He gives the girl a final thumbs up, promising her that he will work harder on himself in the future before following a nurse to the doctor’s office.

During Junmyeon’s appointment, the girl decides to stick around to keep conversing with Chanyeol. It’s a pleasant chat though, since the girl doesn’t appear to be the kind of overzealous fan at all. She asks about Junmyeon’s condition, even sharing advice on how to treat a cold more effectively.

“My grandma always makes galbitang when me or my little brother have a cold,” she says, “it will help clear up a clogged nose.” When Chanyeol asks what the girl is at the hospital for, she laughs, claiming it’s because of neck complaints caused by looking up at a giant like Chanyeol for too long. The joke has Chanyeol crack up along with her.

Time flies quickly like this. Junmyeon emerges from the doctor’s office not before long, prescription receipts in his hands and joining them once more. The girl smiles and tells Junmyeon to get well soon before they bid farewell.

 

❖

 

“And you really have it all memorized?” Junmyeon croaks from Chanyeol’s bed for the nth time, causing Chanyeol to only groan in exasperation.

Since Junmyeon won’t be present at the fansign event later, Chanyeol will be taking over most of his ments. There are also Baekhyun and Jongdae who generally talk a lot anyway, so Junmyeon should know they will be fine. Yet he can’t help but constantly worry.

“Yes hyung,” Chanyeol sighs, “and guess what? It will become so much better without you around!” The snide remark earns Chanyeol nothing but a pillow thrown to the back of his head. To be honest, he can’t wait to escape to the van with the others. Sick Junmyeon has become just a whole handful.

 

❖

 

Maybe even more so than concerts, fan meeting events are Chanyeol’s favorites. Instead of having to worry about performing for hours, to the point of complete exhaustion, they get to talk to their fans in a more relaxed atmosphere. It’s always nice, to get to know the ones who have been supporting their group throughout. It’s also an opportunity to thank them for their love and dedication on a more personal level as well.

But it never feels quite right whenever their leader is missing.

As Chanyeol greets the crowd, he feels bad for Junmyeon’s fans who were dying to meet him, only to find that he couldn’t attend. Without realizing, he mentions Junmyeon’s name more often than not, reassuring their fans that he will be fine, that he’s well rested at home now and that he will be back with the group in no time.

Chanyeol even jokes with one of Junmyeon’s stans, claiming that he is able to perfectly copy his signature for him. To be honest, he _is_ pretty good at it. But when he attempts to draw a bunny in Junmyeon’s style, Chanyeol fails miserably. Junmyeon’s doodles look like they were done by a toddler, silly and just… pure. Impossible for Chanyeol to imitate.

He even takes a photo of the drawing and sends it to Junmyeon, asking him for his opinion. Chanyeol guffaws and shakes his head when he just gets a _not cute enough_ in reply. Kyungsoo kicks him under the table for it. “Stop texting like a lovesick puppy and focus on the event again,” he mutters under his breath.

So with a throbbing shin as a reminder, he does exactly that for the rest of the evening. By the end of the fansign, it crosses Chanyeol’s mind that he should be getting Junmyeon something to eat before he returns back to the dorms with the others.

 

❖

 

When Chanyeol comes home later that night, he finds Junmyeon lying in bed of his own room this time. After changing into his pajamas, he was a little hesitant to enter at first, afraid that he might disturb Junmyeon in his sleep. Resting would have been the more healthy decision, but it turns out that Junmyeon had actually been checking up on their fansign on Naver and Twitter this entire time. Chanyeol shakes his head.

“Feeling better?” Chanyeol asks instead of making a comment on it. There’s soft rustling as Junmyeon’s head emerges from under the bedsheets, nodding in Chanyeol’s direction. Junmyeon does look better, though he’s probably still at the stage of sweating that fever out of his system. There's a softness to him now, and Chanyeol tries not dwell too much on how Junmyeon's bed hair and flushed red cheeks are kind of adorable.

“Hey, do you know that we got caught earlier?” Junmyeon looks flustered as he extends his phone at Chanyeol to take a look. It’s a photo of the two of them at the hospital, with Chanyeol holding Junmyeon in a backhug. “Did the girl we met leak it? She seemed so trustworthy,” Junmyeon mumbles, sinking back under his blanket when Chanyeol reads the photo’s caption out loud. _Thanks for taking care of our bunny leader, Chanyeol-oppa☆_

Trying to bite down his shit-eating grin, Chanyeol thinks it’s wiser to change topics now. He’ll totally save the picture later, though.

“I’ve brought galbitang,” Chanyeol says, “the girl at the hospital. She recommended it to me.” He settles down the packed dish on Junmyeon’s nightstand before sitting down on the edge of his bed. They decide to try it together tomorrow though, after Junmyeon tells him that he isn’t hungry. Chanyeol feels oddly nostalgic.

“You remember pre-debut? When you used to buy meals for me and Jongin so we keep healthy?” At first he has to chuckle at the memory, but there is always a bittersweetness to it, the fear of tearing open old scars. “Even though you hated me following you around…”

Through the haze of his fever, Junmyeon gazes right into his eyes. That look again. The one that is impossible for Chanyeol to read.

“I didn’t hate you,” Junmyeon whispers, voice so small Chanyeol might have just imagined it.

“It’s just… you used to remind me how much I was lacking. How scared I was to be left behind.” Junmyeon drops his gaze at that. His fingers tangle into the hem of Chanyeol’s sweater. “I was jealous of you.”

Throughout the entirety of their idol career, Junmyeon has almost never shown himself this vulnerable. It’s like they are back to their trainee days, all those times Chanyeol caught Junmyeon crying alone in their company’s old dance practice room.

Junmyeon pulls at Chanyeol’s sweater now, making Chanyeol lay down right next to him. Their eyes meet once more. Placing his hand to Chanyeol’s jaw, Junmyeon confesses.

“The truth is, I needed you a lot. Still do.”

 _You will debut, hyung_ Chanyeol had told him again and again and again, even when Junmyeon was tired of hearing it. Even after Junmyeon injured his leg. Even on the verge of giving up on his dream, Chanyeol wouldn’t have allowed Junmyeon to shut him out.

And here they are now, lying on Junmyeon’s bed facing each other, having made it into the same group years later, the distance between them almost gone. Chanyeol stretches out his arms to hug Junmyeon close.

“You should stay away from me, Chanyeol. I’ve kept you awake for too long last night. And you don’t wanna catch what I’m having,” Junmyeon reminds him gently, fingertips brushing over the pads under Chanyeol's eyes before trying to pull away again. Chanyeol holds on tight though. “I’m sure it will be fine, hyung,” he reassures him. Words they’ve kept on repeating to each other like a mantra for years now.

In the end, they have to admit that they’re both pretty thickheaded. At least Chanyeol is when it truly matters. Junmyeon sighs against Chanyeol’s chest, probably accepting that he can’t change the other one’s mind anymore. Thus he shuffles closer instead, curling up and burying his face against Chanyeol’s collarbone. His skin is still burning. But for now, this will do. 

 _I love you_ Junmyeon murmurs to Chanyeol’s heart right before Chanyeol feels Junmyeon’s breath even out. It doesn’t take long for sleep to claim Chanyeol peacefully after that, too.

 

 


End file.
